Blog/writing samples:

Blog for Internet Marketing

Title: What is Local Search Engine Optimization and Who Are Your
Relatives?

Article:

Your business website is finally up and now comes the task of
getting found on the incredibly huge Internet neighborhood.

Where to begin?

Well, the first thing most people do is head for a major search
engine like Google, or Yahoo. And while that is a good idea,
there is much to learn before laying out those precious dollars
on ads and clicks. Most of us become totally confused on the
breadth of information we must learn in order to be savvy
marketers using the search engines. And, if you are busy running
your business 150% of the time, who has the time?

The first rule we all like is ‘keep it simple”. So start off
modestly and test the waters as you go. Identify your market. Do
your customers come from all over the country, or mostly from
nearby areas?

For most brick and mortar businesses on the Internet, your bread
and butter still comes from the local neighborhoods and
adjoining states.

So try this:

After developing a strong list of keywords related to your
specific business, look for other attractions that are
geographically near your business as well.

For instance, is there a state park near you? If you sell
hiking boots and there is a state park near you, wouldn’t it
make sense to target those people looking for the state park?
Won’t they need hiking boots? Add some ‘state parks in your
area’ related keywords to your list.

Say you live in Jamestown and you sell fishing gear. Wouldn’t it
make sense to take advantage of the presence of some of the
other popular things related to the water attractions in your
same area? People who are looking for fishing gear also look for
boats, boat supplies, life preservers, local marinas and the
like. You won’t need to use really specific keywords like ‘The
Fish and Bones Marina in Jamestown’ for instance, just add
something general like ‘marinas near Jamestown’ in your keyword
list. Fishermen (and fisherwomen), who are planning to come to
your area to fish, are more likely type in ‘marinas in
Jamestown’ than a specific marina name anyway if they are new to
the area. Their results will not only show the marinas in
Jamestown, but your fishing gear business as well, under the
same keywords. Later, when they need fishing gear, they will
already be familiar with your business name. Target more
attractions and they will see your name again and again.

If you are a restaurant who depends on the tourist trade, you
might want to consider just what other things your potential
diner might be in your town for. Consider the attractions in
your area. Museums, theme parks, entertainment centers, camping,
are all destinations your potential customer might be looking
for as well as a place to dine. Include those attractions and
local products in your keyword list and expand your visibility
exponentially.

Remember, most travelers won’t be looking for your particular
business name unless they are already familiar with you. But
your business name will pop up again and again whenever they
search for those popular attractions near you.

You don’t need to pay big bucks for your search engine results,
just brainstorm a little bit and consider all those ‘relatives’
in your area. You may also find that some keywords are really
expensive, but for the most part you won’t need them. There are
plenty of inexpensive and related keywords that will bring you
exactly the same results if you use them creatively.

To find more information on how people are using keywords try
www. suggestiontool.com, www.wordtracker.com and Google adwords.

And be nice to your relatives.

By Kathleen Jerauld-Brack
Web Design: www.kajer.com

This article has been written solely by the author and is
copyrighted. 4/2005.

Blog on Food

Title: MSG, What's It For Anyway?

Author: Diningroom Diva

Article:
Akin to peanuts on airplanes, MSG has an air of danger about it.
Menus everywhere proclaim MSG free!, no MSG used, we never use
MSG!!! Ah, but almost all cooks once did, and some still do, and
for good reason.

Monosodium glutamate is a naturally occurring form of glutamic
acid, an amino acid, that is extracted from certain grains and
vegetables. It is long known for enhancing asian dishes. Experts
agree that MSG adds a particular zing to many foods. But how
this works is probably still a mystery.The MSG people claim that
MSG replaces the glutamates in food that are lost during
storage, processing, and cooking. However, it also enhances food
like chicken which have no natural glutamates to lose during
cooking. In light of this, other 'experts' believe MSG joins
with other chemicals and magnifies them.

MSG works well with meat, poultry, fish and vetetables, but not
with other foods such as sweet, acidic or salty. In addition,
some say the MSG brings about a fifth taste to the human palate
adding to the well known quartet of sweet, sour, salty and
bitter.

Japanese have favored MSG since they isolated it from sea vegetables early in this century. They call it 'unami". InChina, MSG is known as wei ching or wei chen meaning 'essence of
taste'.

Now, many chefs recommend that this spice be used sparingly if
at all. Too much of it makes all the flavors in a dish taste the
same. It also has a high sodium content and creates an
unpleasant allergy reaction in some people.

A prudent chef relies on the colorful flavors of the food
itself.

Find Great Restaurants at BestPlaceToEat.com

Blog on Food

Author: Diningroom Diva

Article:
Locusts for Lunch?

Could bugs be the next cuisine trend?

Just imagine it: 'Restaurant Arthropod's'.

Now serving: Locust Louis; Mealy Bug Meatloaf; Centipede
Souffle; Moth Broth; Mosquito Fahito au jus.; Chigger Juice.

Insects for Dinner? <>

<>No-no, not the squashed fly between the pages of your plastic
menu or the little roach that scrambles out from under your
plate in a restaurant, but the one that gets delivered in your
dinner on purpose.

Consider the possibilities...

<> Arthropods, or organisms with jointed legs are clearlyrelated to lobsters, crabs and other edible beings in the ocean.
It's been determined that lobsters are actually sea-going
cockroaches and in addition, lobster exoskeletons also have the
same jointed legs and antennae as grasshoppers.

In comparison, grasshoppers should be more desirable than
lobsters. Grasshoppers eat clean grass; lobsters eat sea garbage
like dead fish and other remains on the murky ocean floorOf course we all eat some insects unknowingly. Aphids cling to
lettuce leaves, and weevils and beetles can reside in flour and
rice undetected. The FDA actually has a measurement of
'acceptable' insect presence in food.

You might consider the nutritional angle. Termites have
considerably more protein than a steak, for example and that
protein has more amino acids essential to our diet than anyother animal.

Insects can be 'farm raised'. You can breed them like cattle,
and in a smaller space with less odor!

They could be marketed as a simple solution to world hunger.
(Many nations already commonly eat insets, by the way.) There
are over five million species roaming the earth, so we would
definitely enjoy more variety in our dishes.Rather than being crop destroyers, they would be the crop.If you are curious, why don't you pick up the book,
'Entertaining with Insects', and try out a few dishes at your
next formal dinner party. And chefs, consider the colorful
presentations you could make! Real butterflies......

I'll bet that if you dipped them in chocolate you could get
almost anyone to try one...We ate in a seafood restaurant last night and I sadly passedon the lobster tail.

"Entertaining with Insects" may be found at
http:www.bestplacetoeat.com/healthyeating.

Blog for a Greek Restaurant

Author: Diningroom Diva

Article:
The Mediterranean Diet has probably focused more attention on
Greek cuisine than ever before. And Greek restaurants are
becoming much more popular. If you haven't ventured into a Greek
restaurant yet, summer is an especially good time.

Mediterranean people love to eat. The sunny climate allows for
many social gatherings where food is served. Greek cuisine has
been influenced by every culture who battled for, conquered,
traded and immigrated there. Many who inhabit Greece and the
Mediterranean region are a mix of religions, nationalities and
races. Influences include the past Ottoman Empire, SouthernItaly, North Africa and the Middle East.

Mediterranean cuisine offers a great deal in the way of fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, pita, pasta, olive oil, cheese, milk,
eggs, fish and red wine. Less on red meat and processed foods.
People of that area have been observed to have less incidences
of heart disease and certain cancers, and this has been
attributed to their cuisine. And that is also the basis of thecurrently popular Mediterranean Diet; although you certainly
don't need to be dieting to enjoy the food.

Still, if you are basically health conscious and looking for
some variety in dining out, Greek restaurants will definitely
accomodate many of those desires.

A typical Greek Restaurant offers a wide range of vegetarian
style dishes as well as seafood and chicken and of course lamb.You might enjoy a baked vegetarian moussaka with eggplant,
parmesan, riccota cheese and zucchini layered, topped with
tomato sauce. Other great healthful dishes include Greek Skillet
Snapper or Greek Lemon Chicken. There are many lamb dishes
offered too, of course. Be mindful, though, that lamb, like any
red meat, should be eaten sparingly in accord with many modern
health advisories. Mediterranean herbs and spices andtraditional ingredients make for a very flavorful cuisine
regardless of meat content. Greek Rose wine is wonderful too.

Wild marjoram grows in the mountains in Greece and is often used
to flavor meat dishes. The herb is much sharper in flavor than
domestic marjorams or oreganos. In Spain it was used to brew
fine ales.

Here is a recipe for a Greek salad dressing with marjoram(rigani) to enjoy with fresh greens.

-1/2 cup virgin cold pressed olive oil -Juice of one lemon
(pierce with a fork and heat for a few seconds in a microwave to
extract the most juice.) -1/2 teaspoon of wild marjoram (rigani)
-1 teaspoon minced fresh mint -1 tablespoon chopped onion -1
tablespoon parley or cilantro -1 teaspoon fresh cinnamon basil
minced 1/2 teaspoon lemon thymeCombine all ingredients and chill for a few hours before
serving. Great on dinner salads.

Don't forget the desserts! Baklava, Kataifi, Amydgalopita....
That's pronounces bahk-lah-VAH, kah-tah-EE-fee,
ah-mag-dah-lo-PETA.

Find Greek restaurants in your area at <a
href="http://www.bestplacetoeat.com">BestPlacetoEat.com
About the author: Diningroom Diva is a feature writer for BestPlacetoEat.com

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